Alexandria Community Schools

Reading/Writing Curriculum

Revised January 2010

Authored by the Alexandria Writing Team:

Jane Adams, Betsy Duckworth, Amanda Hosier, Alena McCullough, Melissa Messersmith, Julie Metzger, Kim Osterhoff, Heather Poston, Jenny Smithson, Jamie Stapleton

Our Mission as Literacy Leaders

Alexandria Community School Corporation is committed to the highest quality literacy instruction supported by research, deemed best practices, and balanced to include reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing across the curriculum.

Quality English/Language Arts Instructors

At all levels of instruction, it is expected that teachers of the English/Language Arts will participate in professional development in all areas of literacy instruction including, but not limited to, the Indiana Writing Project at Ball State University. Faculty, across the curriculum, is encouraged to participate in the Invitational Summer Institute, Open Institute, and/or Saturday Seminars offered. Those who complete the Summer Institute are certified to be Writing Teacher Consultants. Writing Teacher Consultants are encouraged to continue professional development through any Advanced Institutes offered. Through a common vision and set of beliefs about literacy instruction we can collaborate to increase the literacy achievement of our students exponentially in the years to come.

Common Vision and Beliefs

  • Reading and writing are interconnected and inseparable.
  • Reading comprehension strategies and the craft of writing should be explicitly modeled and taught in short, focused mini-lessons.
  • You are never too old for a story or text to be read aloud.
  • Students should write every day and capable, fluent readers read continually.
  • The best way to improve reading is to read daily (with support if needed).
  • Brief, individual writing conferences are essential to provide immediate feedback while students are writing.
  • Accessible texts are imperative for students to gain new information.
  • Writing is a process, but each person’s process may be different.
  • Students should be able to name authors of children’s and young adult literature.
  • Students should be able to comment constructively on the writing of peers.
  • Giving students the opportunity to share is just as important as the mini-lesson.
  • Writing is an increasingly important skill in the 21st century that is tied to new media; effective instructors integrate technology into their teaching.
  • Students need to write in many different forms for authentic purposes both formal and informal in nature.
  • Assessment drives instruction in the English/Language Arts classroom; students are taught to use the rubrics used for grading to monitor personal growth and progress.
  • Writing is thinking on paper, so writing to learn should be important in all subject areas across grade levels.
  • Students must have exposure to a wide selection of literature and informational text in order to develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
  • Students need time, choice, and the opportunity for response to become literate members of society.

Support for Literacy Instruction

Excellent teachers and student achievement thrive with the support of administrators and community members. The following supports are necessary for optimal instruction in the English/Language Arts classroom.

  • Class Size—under ideal conditions, the class size for English/Language Arts instructors should be no more than 20-25 students.
  • Technology—Because writing in the 21st century is linked directly to digital forms (NCTE Policy Brief, Nov. 2009), adequately furnished computer labs or one-to-one computers in the English/Language Arts classroom are necessary for writing instruction. Support personnel available to address technology problems are also essential.
  • Access to Literacy Tools—Students and faculty will have access to an ever-growing library of resources, software, and literaturereflecting materials available in the greater world.
  • Professional Development—literacy leaders and teachers across all subject areas need regular opportunities to continue their own growth. The administration should expect teachers to have a personal growth plan for how they will foster literacy in their classroom and be supportive of any book groups, workshops, seminars, or conferences they wish to attend.
  • Effective Evaluation—Multiple samples of student reading and writing across time should be monitored for progress for a more accurate measure of the quality of student literacy achievement in the district. Statewide testing scores alone are a limited means for program evaluation due to the constraints of the testing situation (timed and without resources).
  • Diverse Learners—English language learners, students with disabilities, and high ability students require differentiated instruction and/or extra assistance in the area of literacy to be fully engaged with the material and to provide the level of rigor expected. Class sizes should be adjusted for high numbers of students with additional needs. Training and consultation should be available as additional support to those instructors.
  • Community Support—caregivers and community members should promote literacy as a positive attribute. If children in Alexandria see the adults in their life reading and writing for pleasure or information, they will understand the importance of being a literate member of society.

Information on Reading Instruction

Reading

Reading is the process of decoding print and constructing meaning and is based on the reader’s prior knowledge. It consists of three interconnected processes–graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic processing–which do not function separately. With proficient readers, processing occurs automatically, redundantly, and more or less simultaneously. Reading development is interrelated with listening, speaking, and writing.

What Is A Balanced Reading Program?

A balanced reading program includes:

• Knowing students individually.

• Balancing both direct and indirect instruction.

• Balancing instructional activities including skills emphasis and meaning emphasis (Strickland, 1996).

Balanced reading is deep-rooted in the belief that teachers should be constantly aware of students’ individual needs and progress. Toward this end, teachers should make full use of a variety of assessment tools such as teacher observations, oral reading samples, writing samples, spelling samples, and portfolios, as well as standardized and other tests. Teachers who know students individually provide many kinds of support, enabling students to move to higher levels of reading and literacy development.

Teachers of balanced reading provide direct instruction to scaffold learning and make learning to read and write easier. They also provide ample opportunity and support for students to use and extend their instruction in functional reading and writing.

In the classroom, a balance of instructional activities for reading should exist. Modeled reading, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading, as well as direct instructional activities, are all included in the balance.

Children must spend time–both inside and outside the classroom–reading and writing under conditions for learning that are favorable for individual achievement. Likewise, some time should be spent in individual, small-group, and whole-group direct instruction to support children’s literacy needs.

The reading program should balance an emphasis on helping children acquire relevant skills and knowledge and an emphasis on helping them learn to use those skills and knowledge in service of independent, productive, and thoughtful reading and writing. A comprehensive plan will be effective when teachers provide direct instructional support and the kinds of daily reading and writing that are needed for the complex process of learning to read.

A Balanced Perspective on Systematic Phonics

Phonics is the relationship between sounds in speech and spelling patterns. The power of phonics for word identification is largely dependent upon knowledge about the sounds of spelling patterns and surpasses simple letter sound correspondence and blending. For example, the sound of the vowel e in be versus bet depends upon the position of e in the long versus short vowel spelling pattern. “Phonics instruction,” according to Marilyn Adams, “is not so much about correspondences between single letters and phonemes as it is about correspondences between spelling patterns and speech segments” (1997, p. 3).

Learning phonics is essential. Research shows that early phonics instruction produces students with superior word-identification skills which is a desirable outcome of the balanced reading program. Additionally, phonics knowledge supports spelling development. Phonics is not, however, sufficient for children’s literacy learning. In a balanced reading program word-identification skills do not take dominance over reading comprehension (Routman, 1996). Time must be spent developing all aspects of reading including comprehension and fluency. To this end, time spent on early phonics instruction must be balanced to allow appropriate time spent on reading comprehension, fluency, and writing.

John Shefelbine reports, “Phonics instruction should be systematic and thorough enough to enable most students to become independent, and fluent readers, yet still efficient and streamlined” (1995, p. 2). While characteristics of systematic phonics instruction can vary, phonics should no longer be associated with stacks of worksheets and endless drills. Shefelbine provides the following general characteristics of systematic phonics:

–short but frequent teacher-led lessons

–the introduction, review, and application of an initially limited but growing set of spelling-soundsrelationships (rather than working on the entire alphabet at once)

–instruction in blending

–correlated work in spelling (students read what they can spell and spell what they can read)

(Shefelbine, 1995, p. 5).

Phonics is directly related to the graphophonic cueing system, one of three generally acknowledged cueing systems that readers use. Balanced reading instruction pays credence to the importance of having children use all three cueing systems when reading. Knowledge about the sounds of spelling patterns–or phonics–is a powerful cue for the reader. In addition, meaning gleaned from semantic cues and grammatical structure gleaned from syntactic cues help the reader determine what a word might mean (Weaver, 1994; Clay, 1991).

Children should be helped to understand phonics skills and the use of graphophonic cueing strategies through direct instruction. To help them internalize phonics skills and strategies as an integral part of reading and writing, phonics skills should be practiced in meaningful context (Routman, 1996; Strickland, 1996) including leveled text (Clay, 1991) and decodable text (Adams, 1997). However, studying spelling patterns and words in and of themselves can also be valuable activity (Templeton, 1992).

A general developmental continuum for phonics and spelling instruction begins with rhyming and the development of phonemic awareness in kindergarten; and it continues with focus on short vowels, common consonants and consonant blends, and a few high-frequency long vowel patterns–all for single-syllable words in first grade. The general continuum provides for continued focus on vowel patterns and generalizations for single-syllable words in second grade and focuses on syllabication and structural analyses in third grade (Gentry, 1997; Shefelbine, 1995).

Not all children need the same amount or same kind of instruction. In the balanced reading program, phonics instruction should fit individual needs. Local flexibility should be exercised in the decisionmaking process for determining how best to incorporate systematic direct phonics instruction in the balanced reading program.

Bibliography

Adams, M. (1997). Memorandum to Dr. Henry L. Johnson. Notes on reading narrative. February 5, 1997.

Clay, M. (1991). Becoming literate: The construction of inner control. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Gentry, R. (1997). My kid can’t spell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Routman, R. (1996). Literacy at the crossroads: Crucial talk about reading, writing, and other teaching dilemmas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Shefelbine, J. (1995). Learning and using phonics in beginning reading. Scholastic Literacy Research Paper, 10, Scholastic Inc.

Strickland, D. (1996). In search of balance: Restructuring our literacy programs. Reading Today, 14, (2), 320.

Templeton, S. (1992). New trends in an historical perspective: Old story, new resolution – Sound and meaning in spelling. Language Arts, 69, 454-463.

Weaver, C. (1994). Reading processes and practice: From socio-psycholinguistics to whole language. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Attitudes and Motivation to Read

It is extremely important that young readers have extended practice in reading. They need interesting and well-written books to read, time in which to read, and reasons for wanting to read. In addition,children are more likely to be motivated to read when they feel successful rather than frustratedand when they can sense their own growth and progress. In view of this, Alexandria Community Schools must seek to develop in every student the knowledge and understanding, as well as theperspective and attitudes, that necessarily underlie true literacy.

Within the English/Language Arts classroom and across the curriculum, thoughtful engagement and motivationare absolutely necessary at all ages and thus provide a foundation for successful reading.Children will learn these attitudes from the context of literacy activities in which they are engagedand from discussions with significant adults.

Some ways to foster engagement and motivation include:

• Routinely incorporate activities that foster a desire to read, such as reading aloud books with predictable patterns, repetition, and rhyme; books that are related to students’ life experiences;and books that stretch students’ imaginations and sense of wonder.

• Provide time and opportunities for students to read a variety of materials representing appropriate reading levels and a variety of topics and genres.

• Engage in sharing and discussing texts read independently, in pairs, in small groups, and in large groups.

• Provide live and recorded models of adults and students reading.

• Share favorite books with other students and adults.

• Share nonfiction texts with students in a way that makes the information and puzzles they present come alive.

• Engage students in shared reading experiences from the beginning to foster feelings ofsuccess and membership in a community of readers.

• Help students learn to analyze the author’s language and craft, to reflect on their understanding and reactions to what is read, and to wonder about the new thoughts and questions thatthe text invites.

• Demonstrate connections between reading and writing by asking students to create, discuss, and publish their own stories.

Stages of Literacy Development

Literacy is a process that continues through life. Teachers need to be aware of the stages of literacy so that they can help move each child to the next stage.

Early Emergent Literacy usually occurs in preschool. In this stage, children come to view readingand writing as activities in which people engage. They know that books contain stories, but they donot yet understand fully the alphabetic principle or the conventions of print. They show interest inprint and begin to develop preferences for particular stories and skills in handling books. Writing is generally scribbling, making letter-like shapes, or imitating cursive writing.

In Emergent Literacy, during the earliest primary years, children begin to use concepts about printand understand principles of text. For example, they know that the text, as well as the picture,conveys meaning; they may be able to read some words like their name or familiar environmental print. In writing, children use letters of the alphabet, usually consonants, to represent syllables.

As children move into the primary years, they progress to the Developing Literacy stage. Theydemonstrate phonemic awareness; apply phonics knowledge to decoding unknown words; andcomprehend narrative picture books, poems, short chapter books, and informational and practical materials. They have an increasing understanding of print conventions and of the alphabetic principle.They are developing a sight vocabulary of functional words. In writing, they are composingsentences to make sense and learning to develop ideas in a logical progression. They write abouttopics of personal interest in various modes, letters, stories, notes, poems, etc. Children are also learning conventional spacing, capitalization, and spelling.

Early Independent Literacy should occur in the early elementary years. Children should set theirown purpose for reading—for interest or for information. They discuss and express their ideas orallyor in writing on literary, informational, and practical materials. They begin to read independentlyfor extended periods of time. In writing, they record observations and ask and answer open-endedquestions about information or ideas; they use detail and organization in their writing; and theyproduce writing and artwork to reflect personal response and understanding of text.

Independent Literacy occurs by the mid-elementary years. Children should efficiently use strategiesfor comprehension and they should self-correct quickly. They read confidently and independently inmultiple modes of text. In writing, their text is easily understood with good ideas, organization,coherence, and increasing sophistication in the conventions of print.

Expanding Literacy is the goal of later elementary and secondary years. Expanding readers readwidely, critically, and frequently for a variety of purposes in a variety of modes. These readersunderstand literary elements as well as the conventions of expository text; they can read analyticallyand thoughtfully. In writing, they have voice and control, and they write for a variety of reasons andin diverse modes.

Literacy Learning Narratives for Alexandria Community Schools

Kindergarten

Students begin to connect letters with sounds, distinguish phonemes, and manipulate and blend sounds to make words. They match oral words to printed words, and identify letters, words and sentences. They identify parts of a book, track words left to right, and begin to use basic reading strategies which include picture clues, isolating word parts, and context clues. Teachers utilize a variety of leveled texts and authentic literature. There is a balance between whole-group literacy instruction (teacher-generated interactive teaching charts; reading for a purpose; before, during, and after activities; ESR-every student response) and small group, center-based activities (guided reading, OTO-on their own work).